Thanks everybody for kind comments [:I]

Hmm... great idea TMC... well, I actually moved in to one of these shelters years ago, during my climbing-bum days

Huts/shelters where you can get cheap beds and food is something that I really miss here in BC. I have never figured why, with so many very active hikers/climbers/bikers this form of mountain accomodation never took off. The few shelters (or rather lodges e.g. Cathedral) that I know are quite expensive. And then there was Diamond Head Chalet that shut down many moons ago...

Justin C., if you make it back to Morskie Oko and there is not too much snow, you could try crossing the border via one of the most unusuall border crossing in Europe. It is located at the very top of Rysy, the highest peak in Poland. And there is a great shelter 1 hour down the trail on the Slovak side...


seawall, we were away four weeks, 1/4 of which was reserved for hiking [8D] There is lots of things to see down there (we also visited Slovakia and Hungary). Here are some samples (probably better suited for other forum, but what the heck..)




----------------------------------------
"Impressive <heavy breathing>, most impressive, but you are not a Jedi yet!"
Lord Darth Vader

Thanks for the tip. Those shelters all look really awesome. In Zakopane we were staying not too far from a little church, made entirely out of wood with elaborate carvings. Totally amazing.

My mother-in-law tells me Zakopane used to be the home of the cultural elite of Poland and many of the architects went crazy building tons of neat stuff. The cemetery is chockfull of composers, poets and other writers.

Yep, it's time I start saving money for a trip back to Europe. I miss that kind of stuff here. The closest I got to this kind of culture in North America was a cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota containing the remains of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane.

Justin C. you are correct, sometimes towards the end of the 19th century Zakopane and the culture of local highlanders became quite popular with Polish elite. Many moved from the cities to Zakopane which back then was not much more than a village. And yes, it resulted in quite awesome architecture that was a collage of what was built locally with more modern concepts. Overall, it makes visiting Tatry even more appealing.

----------------------------------------
"Impressive <heavy breathing>, most impressive, but you are not a Jedi yet!"
Lord Darth Vader